Entwined Fates
by Himitsu no Kokoro
Summary: Modern AU- Kaoru never thought that legends were true until one night...Who would've thought that a demon from the past could actually exist? A demon with cold amber eyes and an even colder heart. It was all because of a mistake that they met... HIATUS
1. Prologue: Hidden Inside

Err, I'm not too sure about my story, and if anyone will read it, the idea just came on a whim, but here goes…

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, there would be a lot more romance than sword duels!

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**Prologue: Hidden Rivers**

"Ms. Kamiya." A voice intoned.

Said Kamiya was doodling idly on her lined paper, a far away look in her cobalt eyes as she sketched in the facial features of the figure's face. Her Dixon pencil filled in eyes with a shade of gray that in her mind were a soft amethyst. Then she added in a touch of shading underneath the chin.

Kamiya Kaoru frowned suddenly at the picture; that bit of shading didn't fit in properly with the long haired man. Dutifully she erased it with an eraser that was more stub than anything else. 'Almost done!' Kaoru thought cheerfully, completely unaware of the stares that she was getting from the other students around her as the teacher crossed the room to stand by her desk.

"Ms. Kamiya." The voice stated more forcibly.

Kaoru blinked and looked up, only to see her teacher's annoyed face hovering above her. Guilt assaulted her, she had promised herself earlier in the school year that she wasn't going to pick up a pencil and draw again. She'd even gone so far as to buy pens, something she did_**not**_ like to sketch with at all. Now here she was, caught with a pencil in her hand and a half finished drawing slightly hidden beneath her history notes.

Kaoru hadn't even been aware of her actions when her hands had slipped into a side pocket of her binder earlier and fished out a thin piece of wood, a pencil in other words. Nor had she been aware when pencil met paper to softly slide in an arc upwards. It's just that when she got bored Kaoru had to draw something- anything.

The dark haired teacher leaned down and took the paper with the evidence; he gave it a haughty glare with mud brown eyes, then crumpled it and tossed the paper ball into the garbage. Kaoru could hear the snickers from the other students as they watched. Lowering her midnight bangs to hide her face as much as possible, she waited for the tinge of red of embarrassment to fade.

She never got the chance to wait that long.

"Now Kamiya, stand up and read the text on page 154 involving the Bakumatsu and its revolutionaries." Kaoru groaned slightly but did as she was told.

Mr. Watanabe went back to the front while she stood and flipped pages as did her classmates.

Kaoru skimmed the old book quickly and began.

"…Truly this age was one filled with bloodshed, but with that blood came peace. What sacrifices had to be made for this peace, and who brought about it? Undeniably all contributed to the civil war in a bid for a brighter future, and while it is true that many men were given titles in recognition of their selflessness and bravery. None of them could boast of the title that was given to an assassin of the Ishin Shishi group. To this date his actual name is not known, the name given by the Ishin leader Katsura Kogoro however is known." Kaoru paused.

"Hitokiri Battousai or Battousai as he was also known as. This is the name that records have unearthed."

Finally! Her turn to read was over. She really didn't like this sort of attention, and whenever she had to endure it her fingers twitched for her trusty bokken. She just knew that Watanabe made her uncomfortable on purpose, if only she could teach him a lesson or two! Kaoru couldn't stop the evil little smile that graced her face at the image of a swirly-eyed Watanabe with lumps on his head from a certain Tanuki.

Kaoru went to sit down; but was stopped by her teacher asking, no, demanding her to read over the short profile of the Battousai.

Oh joy.

She flashed her cobalt eyes over to the clock and saw that there was only a few more seconds left until class was dismissed.

'Well, at least its not that long.' Kaoru sighed in exasperation, earning the disapproval of the squat and balding teacher.

"There are many legends that are whispered about this deadly man, whose speed and strength surpassed all. He was described to be a giant among men, with a mane full of deep red hair, piercing amber eyes, and his most distinguishing feature was the scar carved in the shape of an 'X' on his left cheek.

In that day and age, his very name struck fear into all, even his allies. Battousai was rumored to be capable of slaying dozens of men at a time armed with a wakizashi and katana. His glare alone was said to be able to freeze a man in their place and cower in fear of death approaching. Many claimed him to be a demon; at the time there was no other explanation for his abilities. Society knows better than to believe those rumors, as there has never been any evidence of any caliber to support such a theory. Hitokiri Battousai was simply a man with an extraordinary physique.

Battousai-" Kaoru was abruptly cut off by the bell ringing, signaling dismissal.

Mr. Watanabe assigned them all to finish reading the profile, and to create a paragraph response as to whether they thought Battousai really was how the textbook described, or if his appearance had been exaggerated.

Everyone groaned at this, but it was the weekend and so they had until Monday, which was plenty of time. Taking the rubric from the handout box, they shoved away the hateful homework and packed up.

She too, gathered up her items and packed them away, leaving the room with the crowd that surged to freedom.

* * *

Hours later found Kaoru breathing calmly, a bokken held loosely in her grasp. She had changed from her school uniform into her usual training gi and hakama. Kaoru relaxed her body and gracefully slipped into the stance for a basic kata. 

The wooden katana raised and was brought down; this was repeated until the movements seemed to flow like a dance that only Kaoru knew. This was her place, in her family's dojo, her father's style- that would eventually be mastered by his daughter. When Kaoru trained in the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, she felt at ease, all tension leaked out. It was also the time when she could think about things.

SWISH!

'Battousai…'

SWISH!

'Wha-what? Where did that come from and why am I thinking about some dead guy?'

She sidestepped and the air whistled past her bokken as she brought it down in an arc.

'Kaoru!' she scolded herself, 'stop thinking about some **dead**historical assassin.'

The young woman froze.

'…'

'Did I… just talk to myself? Mou… first sign of insanity, it was bound to happen one day or other.' Kaoru chuckled to herself unaware of the shadow that stealthily slunk up behind her.

She fell back into practice position, focused and-

"Busu!"

-And jumped at least five feet into the air from the shock, well, that's what it felt like to her at least.

Fire blazing in blue orbs she turned to see her younger brother Yahiko rolling on the ground, laughing his head off at her expense. Her eye twitched, Kaoru's grip on the practice sword tightened and she smirked.

"Oh Yahiko." She called sweetly. He looked up to see her standing above him menacingly.

With a bokken in her hand.

With a very, very, VERY scary face.

'Oh shit.' Were his last thoughts before the bokken came crashing down on his head.

* * *

Their Father wasn't home that day; he was off on a work related trip. He usually wasn't around for weeks on end, even months. So Kaoru was left to make supper with her meager skills, currently she was on a warpath and a daikon was about to taste the business end of a cutting knife. Her thoughts strayed… 

((Kaoru's thoughts))

Thinking back years ago to when she had been a child, Kaoru remembered how she used to cry whenever Father left. She always knew when he had to leave; Father would hug her in his strong and safe arms, and he'd ask her to be a good girl for him. Later on, sometimes hours later, sometimes minutes later, Kaoru would cry. Her mother would come to her, finding her daughter in one hiding place or other. Then she would gather her into her embrace and whisper soft words to the little girl. Kaoru's whimpers would start to quiet down and she would fall asleep, dreams filled of her family before Daddy had taken the job, when they had spent time together, and they all smiled.

A year later, Mother had fallen ill with a sickness, the doctors had no cure for it, and every day her beautiful Mother would become sicker. The spark of life that had made her eyes sparkle dimmed. All Kaoru wanted to do was to stay with her Mother, and be near her. Each morning she would shuffle in and sit down next to her Mama, watching her while she slept. She would hold her Mama's frail, white hand while the elder Kamiya told stories of her youth. This was their time together. Father had come home to stay, the company paid for him for his absence.

Back then Kaoru had felt selfish.

Before Mama had gotten sick, Kaoru had wished upon a star that her family would spend more time together. Her child's mind saw this whole sickness as a result of her unthinking actions. Kaoru to this day, still wasn't sure whether she had come to terms with herself yet or not.

One day, when she woke up, Kaoru had gone over into Mama's room. Then time stopped. Kaoru sat down in a daze.

Mama was so still. She didn't move. The child just sat there, uncomprehending, her mind refused to believe what she saw, but her heart told her otherwise.

A low noise came from her, Kaoru gingerly touched her Mother's cold cheek. Then she knew for certain.

The noise turned into an inhuman keening that told everyone who heard it of her grief. Kaoru threw herself on her Mother, she clutched at the clothing, and sobbed.

That was how her Father found her. Yahiko had been a baby at the time, and didn't understand what was going on. For the years following, they had been raised by an assortment of nurses. Father still left on trips, and Kaoru grew to hate the man that she called Father. Hated him for leaving her and her brother alone in their grief, hated him for not being there….

((end thoughts))

Kaoru sniffled; a tear had found its way out and crept down her cheek. Determinedly she wiped it off with the back of her hand. She wasn't crying, Kaoru hadn't cried for years since her mother had died. She couldn't be crying now. No, it was the onions that she had started to slice up having recently finished with the radishes. After all, onions were notorious for making people cry.

The salty tears stopped.

* * *

Dinner was dinner. 

Yahiko taunted her and threw comments to her about her cooking.

"Ewww! Busu, next time get take-out! Even I can do better than this" The boy gagged on his meal, trying to force it down.

"Well, Yahiko-CHAN, if you'd like to cook instead, be my guest!" Kaoru snapped.

"Eh? Me… cook? HEY! Don't call me 'chan'!" Yahiko yelled in outrage, his spiky hair quivered in the force of his rage. Without noticing he had stuck more food into his mouth and continued to yell at her for the blow to his pride.

Kaoru fought the urge to smile, she had gotten him to eat. Instead she took her plate over to the sink. Next she cleared away the pots and pans, put the leftovers in the fridge, and tossed what dishes she could into the dishwasher. Yahiko would do the rest, it was an agreement that they had come to.

"Yahiko, I'm going to run a bath and then go to bed, if anyone comes calling for me, tell them that I'd have to get back to them at a later time."

"Yeah, right, who'd want to come visit you anyways?"

Kaoru left the room, although she had been tempted to whack him across the head at his audacity. She missed the comment that her brother made to her retreating back.

"Okay, Kaoru, and goodnight."

* * *

The moonlight filtered in through the blinds, coming to rest upon a seventeen year old girl. Her breath came out evenly but Kaoru wasn't asleep yet. She couldn't get comfortable and for some odd reason her throat had tightened painfully. She rolled over onto her side on the futon and listened to the crickets that played their music outside of her room. 

Silently her fists clenched and she curled up into a fetal position. Her raven tresses fanned behind her, and limply laid on her face. Kaoru shivered, not from cold but from something unknown that assaulted her from the inside.

"Mother… Father…" Came the words unbidden, and then something inside her broke.

A hot wetness caressed her cheeks and she blinked bleary eyes. Reaching up with a shaking hand up she felt water. A salty scent hit her. No, not water.

Tears.

And this time there were no onions.

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A/N: Anyways, I hoped you liked it, it's my first RuroKen fanfic (and pretty much my first fanfic as well!), and I tried my best. I know this chapter might have seemed slow, but more action is on the way. I just wanted to shed some light on the situation with Kaoru's family, this chapter is a building block for events to come.

Please review, it'll help me know if I should continue this story or not. Thanks for reading it! Bye!


	2. Encounters and Decisions

See? I updated! Yay for me! Hope you like, this chapter was a pain in some ways…meh, enjoy! prays that she doesn't get flamed too badly and guess what, there's something or someone who is familiar to all of us in this chapter…three guesses who!

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own the series, Nobuhiro Watsuki does, and I am just some poor fanfic writer. ((I'm serious about the poor part, my wallet's pretty empty))

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**Chapter 1: Encounters and Decisions**

It was really late at night, and so dark that Kaoru couldn't see anything, much less the hand that she waved in front of her face before setting it down beneath the blanket, and gripping lightly onto the cottony light-green fabric. She drew her covers closer to her just under her chin, and tried to relax on the futon. She had to sleep soon; otherwise she would doze off in class tomorrow, or rather today since it was past midnight. For some reason or other she had been unable to sleep for a while. Kaoru had fallen asleep earlier, but had woken up to this pitch-black room that had had dim light in it before.

'School… I really hope that I can continue going. What with the state our dojo is in, and no students to help pay off the bills, I suppose I'll have to get a job. If I'm able to find a job, then I'll have to quit -no- take a break from school. Its not like I'm permanently stopping my education, just taking an unwanted vacation.' Kaoru sighed wearily. She had been going over this issue since last Sunday, and today was Friday. Kaoru hadn't wanted to involve Yahiko in this, so she had kept silent on the matter. Besides, he'd find out eventually. She rolled over onto her right side. _((A/N: this is exactly one week from the first chapter))_

All was quiet. The wind had long since disappeared and there were no tendrils of moonlight peeking their way in through her fuchsia blinds. This dark was the deepest blackness that you could ever imagine. Her eyes couldn't see anything, which was weird because usually she could see at least a sliver of light from a crack in the blinds, or the shoji.

Now Kaoru herself wasn't a woman who backed down from anything willingly, but the

challenge of keeping the dark from scaring her was a hard battle. Luckily she grew tired all of a sudden. Biting her lower lip in unforgotten frustration, she closed her eyes to a softer darkness and finally slept.

Kaoru awoke with a start, her subconscious had registered a noise and she instantly became alert. Straining to hear what her mind had heard once already, ears pricked for any tell tale sound.

And then she heard it.

A soft movement on the dojo floor moving her way. Light footsteps, carried carefully and

precisely. Occasionally Kaoru could hear the floorboards creak at the unwelcome weight, but not often.

Kaoru stiffened at the sound. The person was just down the hall not too far away from

her, going her way. The sound continued and Kaoru grew more nervous, after all lying in your bed in a sleeping yukata wasn't exactly a reassuring situation to be in when faced with a possible intruder. Plus there was the added bonus that she was helpless, her bokken, which was usually stashed near by, had been stowed away in the practice hall for once. This was just great, the one time she had need of it, she had decided to put it somewhere where she couldn't get it.

The young woman didn't dare to move, not wanting to accidentally notify whoever was out there that she was awake and listening to their every move.

'Is it Yahiko? He has been getting up in the middle of the night to grab a drink of water lately before going back to bed. That's right; it was probably just Yahiko-chan.' Kaoru tried to reassure herself. 'But…' came a sudden unwelcome little voice that just had to argue with her earlier answer to the riddle of the mystery person.

_'But isn't the kitchen the other way?'_

Kaoru listened closely for the person. Her heart was thudding loudly in her chest, and she was sure that anyone within a few hundred meters could easily hear it. A coldness had settled into the once warm room. It snaked out icy fingers that tightened around Kaoru as she lay there, sucking the warmth out of her body. The overwhelming darkness had closed in on her in a way she hadn't thought possible. That wasn't the worst part however.

The footsteps had stopped.

Right outside her room.

She drew in a shaky breath, praying that the action would calm her nerves enough for her to speak.

"Yahiko?" Kaoru grimaced at her voice, the simple question had come out as a scared squeak.

Silence reigned supreme.

'Oh Kami-sama, please let it be him, please let it be him, please let it be h-'

The shoji slid open and Kamiya Kaoru finally snapped open her eyes only to feel them widen in shock and fear at what she beheld.

A pair of glowing amber orbs greeted her a mere six feet away. The eyes were the only things that Kaoru could make out from this most likely, probably, and definitely dangerous man. How Kaoru ever knew that he was a man was beyond her, considering that the shadows still hung over the dojo like a thick blanket.

A feeling told her that he knew she was awake, and seeing no point in feigning sleep she reacted.

"What do you want!" It was funny how her talking was stronger now.

'Stupid Kaoru! That's right, go ahead and aggravate the guy some more, brilliant idea of yours.' Kaoru berated herself for the sudden outburst.

The menacing eyes locked onto her own, and Kaoru found she was unable to move. The eyes pierced right through her and she was sure that this man knew everything about her. The intent look came across as indifferent, one that didn't care if she lived or died through this encounter. Something flashed in them darkly, and Kaoru felt rather than sensed the eyes flickering downwards to where the rest of her lay motionless. Was he really able to see her?

Kaoru knew instantly that he was taking in the situation, assessing if she was a threat or not. 'This is no ordinary robber!' Her mind screamed at her as it put some ofthe pieces of the puzzle together.

He must have come to a conclusion for he took a step forward and Kaoru could hear the sound metal sliding faintly against a sheath. Fear flooded her senses.

_'He has a knife!'_

Cold amber appraised her silently as another step brought him closer to her. Kaoru tried to back up, she had never been this frightened in her life. Whenever she had been threatened she responded bravely, never backing down. Of course, that had been in daylight, not cowering in her futon without any light around her save for luminous fiery gold.

The trespasser stopped in front of her, she again felt rather than saw him drop his hand to his hip. A loud click broke through the silence; it reverberated off the walls amplifying it more than necessary.

She wanted to scream so badly now, in the hopes that someone, anyone would rescue her from a fate that she didn't want to accept.

It was the click of a sword; she'd heard so many of them when she attended certain kendo tournaments with her Father. He used take her to them whenever he was home for a few days, that was how she had recognized the chilling quality of that **'click'**. Her opponent was a swordsman!

_'Can't move. Have to get away. Now. Quick. Please, no…'_

Kaoru whimpered as he regarded her prone figure. She wanted to look away from where he stood, and then he disappeared. For a brief moment Kaoru was assailed by the thought that he had truly gone, only for a moment though.

Kaoru was jerked to her feet and found herself alongside the wall, hot breath flickered on her earlobe as a warm body leaned heavily against hers. A strong arm that refused to move an inch gripped her right shoulder roughly and she whimpered again, this time in pain. Were those claws that dug into her skin? They must've been, no nails were capable of this. No normal human's nails that is.

She tried to struggle, stopping only when her throat came in contact with cold steel. Her knees quivered; if he hadn't been holding her up she was sure she would've collapsed.

The blade was pressed non-too gently, but Kaoru was rather surprised that she wasn't cut yet. This man had complete control of his katana and her life and she didn't like it one bit. Daring to look straight at him, she gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Let me go."

'Oops. Mistake number two.' The cynical voice was back with a vengeance.

He didn't answer but Kaoru thought she saw approval glitter very briefly in his eyes before resuming their normal glare.

Something caressed her skin where the yukata had slipped, long feathery strands of what felt like hair as mystery man moved in closer to whisper in her ear.

"_No_."

It sounded like silk over steel when he spoke, and held a feral quality that had never been tamed. The blade pushed harder at her neck and Kaoru screamed.

* * *

With a loud gasp she shot up straight in her futon, breathing too fast for her own good. Her hands flew to her neck in protection from an invisible danger. Kaoru still tingled from where he had touched her. 

'It was just a dream, just a dream. Nothing to be scared of, no one's here, your all right-' These and other reassurances repeated themselves. It was still dark but Kaoru didn't think she would be able to sleep any longer, and so got up anyways.

Methodically, she changed into her navy blue and white sailor fuku and a pair of knee high white socks.

'Did I really dream of a demon? It seemed so real, I swear I can still feel that blade on my throat. And his voice, so deep and imposing, but his eyes were the worst of all. I couldn't move, it was like he held me captive with his gaze alone.'

Kaoru brushed her hair free of all the knots, then pulled it into a high ponytail. She stood in front of a hanging mirror to look over her work. Judging herself to be acceptably dressed, Kaoru grinned.

She strode over to the rice paper door, mentally shaking off the aftereffects of the horrid dream. Kaoru couldn't shake off the nagging at the back of her mind that insisted that the man in her dream was from somewhere.

"I wonder what his name was…" A soft murmur slipped out as she left.

* * *

_Later that same day after school in the den…_

"Battousai…"

"Battousai was the…" She gave up.

Kaoru glared at the textbook; no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get into the words. She had been trying to read the same sentence for five minutes or so, with no luck whatsoever. Mr. Watanabe just couldn't get enough of the Bakumatsu, that's why they were still learning about it, and about Battousai and she was getting tired of it, but she did harbor -**some**- interest in the subject.

'Good thing Yahiko isn't here.' Kaoru counted her blessings at her brother's absence. Kaoru had sent Yahiko out earlier to a restaurant; the Akabeko, to visit with his girlfriend, or 'friend', since he adamantly denied any sort of relationship. This was all done in the hopes of being able to complete her reading activity. However, it wasn't working. She heaved a sigh.

She didn't really have to read more about Battousai, Kaoru knew the basics. He was some sort of awesome swordsman who looked like some unholy demon. The man being a demon was impossible, there were no such things as demons. 'The thing is, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't want to meet Battousai in an alley at night, even if I wasn't his target.' She mused still staring blankly at her book.

'I suppose he might be compared to my own demon, the one I met in my nightmare.' She shook her head at the similarities. 'Alright Kaoru, time to get back to work!'

Grumbling about '_pig-headed teachers and their lousy ideas of fun'_ she settled back to reading.

A minute passed, two minutes, three min…and that's when all hell broke loose.

"**ARGHHHHH! I can't read this stuff**!" She threw the book viciously at the opposing wall, grinning with satisfaction when it hit with a loud thump. Her worries were catching up with her preventing her from reading, one of which involved her Father as per usual.

Kaoru clenched her teeth at what he had said earlier to her when he made his weekly phone call.

* * *

**Flashback**

A loud ring echoed through the house startling its occupants, said occupants looked at each other with a calculating stare across the room that they were watching a program on the TV in. Another ring broke through and then both siblings were racing to get the phone first.

"I'll get it!" Kaoru yelled to Yahiko who skidded around a corner, he almost fell but recovered by steadying himself with his hand. He was ahead of her by a few feet but she was ready to tackle him. Kaoru dove, only to be surprised when he put on an extra burst of speed that left her eating the floor in an ungainly heap.

'Too late.' Kaoru groaned. Yahiko had reached it first.

"No way you old hag! Its my friend, she said she'd phone me later so, nyah!" He stuck his tongue out at her, grabbing the phone from its charger as he stepped back out of Kaoru's reach.

'Old hag!' Kaoru got up in a flash fully intending to strangle the little brat for his words, when a thought struck her.

'Wait a minute, did he say '_she_'? Your in for it now Yahiko-chan, time for payback!' she chortled with glee, her former pursuit momentarily forgotten.

Meanwhile, Yahiko had answered the phone.

"Hi Tsubame!" He said brightly and listened to the answer on the other end while Kaoru watched. She saw him suddenly burn red from embarrassment as he swiftly shoved the phone towards her.

"It's for you." Came the mumbled answer to Kaoru's unvoiced question.

"Hello?" Kaoru asked curiously when she took the cordless from his proffered hand. As soon as she had, Yahiko fled the scene; presumably to give her a sense of security while he spied from outside.

"Kaoru-chan, how are you?"

Her heart stopped for a second. It was Father. Her hands suddenly become slick with sweat and she had to force a cheery reply.

"I'm fine Father, and you?" 'Why is he phoning today, he usually phones on Sunday. Did something happen to change his plans? Is he staying longer on his trip?' her mind raced with all the different possibilities.

"That's good, yes very good. As for me, I couldn't be better. So… Kaoru-chan, how's your brother doing? All is well I hope?" She could tell that he was unsure of what to say to her, he always was whenever they talked.

Should she tell him about the dojo's money problems?

No, Father might've owned the dojo at one time, but it was more hers than his now. Her dojo, her responsibility. Kaoru would take care of everything, somehow or other things would turn out okay.

"Yahiko-chan is just his normal annoying self." She heard a stifled curse from outside the shoji door, confirming her suspicions. "He's doing well in school, and his katsujin-ken practice is coming along great. We're all doing just fine." 'Without you.' she added mentally.

"Well, you're probably wondering why I'm calling today. You see, I've been asked to go to a meeting in Ottawa, that's in Canada."

She rolled her eyes, of course she knew where Ottawa was, she wasn't dense.

"The leaders of the company that I work for have forged a tentative arrangement with another company for certain blueprints for a new bio-analysis technology. This revolutionary idea, if it happens, could place the enterprise at the forefront of the business world!"

He had so much enthusiasm for his work, but couldn't even show a tiny degree of it to his family? Again Kaoru wondered how this could be possible. Another thing that annoyed her was that he never shared any information with her, he still considered her a child when she was almost a grown woman!

'Notice how he never even told me the name of the other company?' she asked herself cynically.

"Its impossible to refuse such an offer when they came to me to ask if I would be one of the five representatives. I agreed to it. Unfortunately," She heard him pause and when he didn't continue she pressed him for more.

"Unfortunately?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not exactly sure when everything will be finished and the way its looking, I'll have to stay the summer and then some."

The entire summer? It was almost July now, and school was fast approaching its end. Kaoru shrugged, figuring the long absence wouldn't be any different than all the other times. They'd both grown away from Father, her and Yahiko. If Father thought that they were going to complain or beg him to reconsider, was he ever going to be in for a shock.

"Sure Father. Yahiko and I'll hold down the fort. You just go ahead and do what you need to do." She bantered easily with him.

"Kaoru," he pronounced slowly, "so your alright with it?"

She nodded, but then realized that he couldn't see it on the phone. "Yes, I'm quite sure."

"In that case, I'll be sending over some money soon, it'll arrive within two weeks or so."

Some money huh? Knowing him it wouldn't be enough for all the supplies that she and Yahiko needed. That was when Kaoru made up her mind. She was going to go look for a job.

"Kaoru, I've got to get going now, oh and if anything happens, you do know that Dr. Genzai is there for the family."

They exchanged goodbyes and Kaoru hung up the phone. She just stood there for a while, then her whole body slumped in relief. 'What a day this turned out to be…what's next on the list? Hmm, poking Yahiko with sharp and pointy objects sounds like fun, wonder where he is?' She really needed some sort of stress reliever.

Yahiko chose that moment to walk in the room casually.

'Well what do you know? Wishes really do come true.' She chuckled evilly.

"So busu, what did he want this time?" He continued ranting for a few more minutes until she had had enough.

"Yahiko-chan." Kaoru broke through his seemingly endless tirade.

"I'll bet h- Eh? What's up? And stop with the '**CHAN**' already!"

"I suggest you run." She stated matter-of-factly while picking up a spare bokken that happened to be conveniently lying around.

And believe it or not, he actually listened to her for once.

**End Flashback**

* * *

Kaoru grinned as she picked up her fallen book, she certainly felt better remembering that episode after the phonecall. Putting new effort into her homework, she finally began to read. 

"Battousai was the top-ranking assassin in the..."

* * *

**Reviewer's Replies:**

**reader-kikilala:** Thanks so much for your praise, and for being my first reviewer! Yeah, I liked it too when she was drawing him. Heh, some of the first part of chapter one is kinda like how I feel when I'm bored. Oh, and don't worry about the comment, its awesome that I got reviews at all-

**Eternal Light/Fire Dragon:** Thanks for your compliment! Btw, you have a really cool name. I'm a bit of a dragon lover myself, well, a big one actually. You might have seen my reviewer siggy around this site as dragonspirit4215. Is this fast enough updating for you:p

**gaby (hyatt:** Thanks for telling me that my fic is great, it means a lot to me!

**battousai69:** Thanks! Well, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you too much. Plus, it's longer!

**Prince Aoshi:** Lookies, I continued soon! Although I don't know how long it'll take for the next chapter to be up. Maybe a week, but no promises! I'll try really hard tho'.

**dunkmoonX:** I'm so happy, your review made me shout out in joy…and receive several weird looks my way, I was in school at the time. Maybe not the best place to cheer, ne?

**Bradybunch4529:** Yes it'll be very interesting…Mwhaha, sorry, I got a little carried away. Heheh, demons, yup, that'll be interesting, since there's definitely more than one as mentioned in this chapter. In other words her nightmares, are they more than just nightmares? Stay tuned for the next chapter-

**Lendra-chan:** I know, it was sad wasn't it, well this chapter was creepy in a way! But also showed some actual interaction between a variety of people, such as Kaoru's father. Thanks for all your encouragement, seriously, every time I read a new review I got really pumped! Thanks again!

Thanks to everyone who read my story but didn't review, and thanks to those who put me on their favorites list, or on their author alerts! I really appreciate it!

* * *

**A/N**- Well, another chapter gone by, and soon another one will be up, maybe in a week or so? I'm not sure, but we'll find out eventually. I apologize if any teachers happened to actually be reading this, gomen nasai!

_**Oh and I have a favor of all of you, okay, a few favors…**_

_**Should this fic be entirely in Kaoru's POV? Or should others be included?**_

And who should make appearances in the story? There is no Tomoe btw, nor will there be any hint of her, so please don't ask. Its not that I despise her, its just that I really don't know much about her. Sorry.

Any other questions or concerns just email me, or imail as I would call it!

Oh, and I apologize if any of the characters are OOC. I'll try to adjust them to fit better if it becomes a problem.

Thanks again to everyone!

Dewa mata! ((See you!))


	3. A Change of Pace

**WARNING! I have some news for all of you. You see, I want to find a style of writing that I am comfortable with, but I don't want to do one-shots until I find it. So… after much deliberation, I have decided the Entwined Fates shall become my, err… 'lab rat'. In other words, prepare for horror, as the style of this story will be constantly changing. In a good way…I hope. Well, I'll soon know if you guys and girls hate me for what I am going to do. Alrighty let the fun begin!**

And, uh, you guys are in for a little surprise.

**Disclaimer:** In all honesty, the fact that I'm even writing the word '_Disclaimer_' should mean something, such as me not owning RuroKen maybe?

Here's your surprise…

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Change of Pace**

**Kaoru's POV**

This was impossible, simply impossible. Here I was, clutching the phone like a lifeline, which in all truth it could've been at the time. The small creamy colored cordless was still pressed against my ear and the woman on the other end was babbling about wages or something of the kind, not that I was listening. I was too excited to think properly.

You see…I had gotten a job.

Yes, that's right, me, the same person that Yahiko had stated '_that the chances of a busu like you getting a job, is zero, zip, nada'_. Heh was I ever glad to prove that little gaki wrong.

After hours of slaving away looking through job ads in the Mainichi Shinbun and dialing countless numbers, only to be rejected, I had finally found my salvation. I HAD A JOB! Granted it wasn't the best of jobs, bringing coffee to workers and doing similar tasks, but it was a job nonetheless!

The voice by my ear squawked a question. I answered her with a 'Yes.' not really knowing what the question was, but hey, I didn't care, all my hard work had finally paid off.

The secretary, Miss Ishino, gave an audible sigh of relief on the other side, which made me instantly suspicious.

"Oh, that's great that you can come in after tomorrow. Our last girl quit earlier this week so we've been shorthanded, but with you around we'll be able to keep the men happy." Ishino cheerfully chirped.

"Whoa, wait, m-Monday? Of course, I'll be there." I recovered swiftly from my mistake. How the heck had I been dragged into this? I had been planning to get some things arranged before working. Such as calling Tsukiakari High School to inform them that I wouldn't be attending classes regularly, and getting some advanced work done so that I wouldn't be too far behind my peers.

'That's it. No more zoning out.' I decided sternly.

"Pleasure talking to you Miss Kamiya, remember 7 am sharp and not a minute after, the boss doesn't like late arrivals."

I assured her that I'd get there on time and bid her goodbye.

Picking up the paper with the company's address hastily scribbled on it, I read it over. I couldn't help the grin that stretched over my face.

It faded however when I was reminded of the fact that I'd be missing out on school, and even though none of my friends attended school anymore, I still liked to go and think of all the memories I have of them. When they had finished school- one of them being Sagara Sanosuke, a spiky head whose audacious personality often got him in trouble- we'd all bid tearful farewells. Sanosuke, or Sano as he was also called, had decided to travel the world; every so often he'd send me a postcard to show that he hadn't forgotten me. I, for one, definitely wasn't able to forget that rooster head… or his numerous plans to pair Jou-chan - a.k.a. me- up with some unsuspecting guy. Oh the chaos that ensued; considering that half his plots never turned exactly as they were planned.

Sano in all his goodwill would claim that I'd been single for long enough, and that it was time to move on from my former boyfriend. But you know, it's hard to stop thinking about an ex when he's left a scar on your heart.

That was about two years ago, and Sano had left to travel last year. Anyways, back to what I was saying.

There had been this dark tousle headed boy, with a personality that was witty and sometimes insincere. All the girls wanted him, and I was no exception. Girls would swarm after him; mouths open with drool dribbling down whenever they saw him. He was a jock after all, one of the best athletes. That boy had a fan club, one that almost every popular girl was in. I wasn't exactly popular but even I had to stare at his good looks.

I knew I didn't have a chance in hell with him, the guy barely ever looked my way, and eventually I gave up on those little games.

Until he searched me out to talk with him.

Kyosuke, resident jock, said that he had feelings about me, and that he wanted me to go out with him, and I believed him, never questioning his words. I laugh nowadays when I recall how I'd used to trail after him like a lovesick puppy. A single look into his chocolate brown eyes and my heart would flutter. After Kyosuke and I got together, he never paid much attention to me. Sure, whenever his friends were around he'd casually throw an arm across my shoulders; later after they left he would turn away from me as if my touch burned him. Yet I still held on to him, desperate as I was for companionship, I've never had a boyfriend before.

Later I found out the truth.

It turned out that Kyosuke was playing me for a fool. One day when the sky was a drab gray, I strode onto the field after his soccer practice had ended; I'd wanted to surprise him with some sushi that I'd picked up from a local vendor. He didn't know that I was coming. Betcha can guess what happened next.

I caught him with the raven-haired cutie that was on the cheer leading squad. That bastard was making out with her. To this day I still didn't know her name, but she saw me and smirked.

I wanted to cry, but settled for running instead.

The only reason Kyosuke had asked me out was because of a dare that his friends made him do.

To go out with Kaoru for one whole month, we only lasted for three weeks.

Sano had warned me not to fall for Kyosuke; nevertheless he was still there to offer a shoulder to cry on. He held me in his embrace while I cried my eyes out. That baka rooster head really had been a good friend, and always will be.

Enough reminiscing, it was time to get started.

A couple of phone calls later and much cursing on my part for all the times I was put on hold, and my absence from school had been informed.

I really needed to get out of the house for a while. So without much thought I went and grabbed the house keys from the drawer, slipped on a comfortable pair of running shoes and left the building. There was a note explaining to Yahiko about what I was doing, he was bound to be home soon from school and I didn't want him to worry. We both had keys for the house, so I knew he'd be able to get in no problem. If he'd forgotten his key, that was his problem.

The brightness of the sun hit me full force as I stepped out and warmth surrounded me. A scent of summer flowers and the smells of the neighborhood drifted on the cooling breeze. I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Turning to the left after I had passed the dojo's gates I began to walk in that direction.

Breathing out, I quietly spoke to no one at all, "I wish that I hadn't needed to grow up. Things are always so much easier when you're a child."

That was right. A child could show their emotions and not hide them behind a mask, knowing that they could rely on their parents. When had I been forced to stop being a child? It was so long ago.

I continued my slow walk towards the place. My place. Where I went when the world piled too many problems on me, and I felt that I would shatter from the strain. It was in a park that no one really went to anymore, occasionally there'll be the odd couple or a family flying kites. It wasn't a large park, but it did have some areas that weren't easy to find. Like this one shaded place where an ancient cherry tree stood guard, where I would go and relax.

I suddenly found myself standing in front of the hidden place, apparently I must've been thinking a little too hard since I didn't notice where I'd been going.

I jogged over to some shrubs that blocked the way and using my hands to pull the branches away,and carefully squeezed through the narrow space.

* * *

**Normal POV**

The tall grass swayed gently in the wind, the wind stirred the leaves of the massive tree and the sunlight poured down through the intertwined branches. A rustling in the bushes scattered any creatures that had been present as a figure stepped out. She wore black Capri pants, a white tank top and a pair of scruffy whitish sneakers. Dark bangs framed a petite yet strong face while the rest bobbed slightly in a topknot. A light entered into cobalt eyes as she surveyed the scene.

Kaoru was pleased that no one had disturbed this place since her last visit. She smiled in happiness as she wandered over to the tree and laid a hand on it. Turning around to lean against the smooth bark she slid down top sit at the base of the tree.

Sometimes she brought her bokken here to practice and afterwards she'd meditate. Not that she could meditate for long.

Today Kaoru decided to just forget her worries and just sit there in comfortable silence while listening to birdsong and let the warmth of summer bathe her. In fact, the heat was making her drowsy.

The young kendo student, for Kaoru was still a student in the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, felt her eyelids grow heavy. Muttering to herself about bad dreams and not being able to go to sleep the night before, she forced her eyes open. Blinking stubbornly, she tried to focus on a rock across from her in an attempt to regain wakefulness. It wasn't her fault that ever since the dream with the amber eyed stranger she hadn't been able to sleep properly. Every time she had started drifting off into oblivion a vision of that demonic man would thrust itself upon her, and she'd wake up gasping at the realty of it.

"Mou," she complained tilting her head upwards, "Why now of all times to want to sleep? Although…I don't think that anyone will be finding his or her way here anytime soon, so maybe it wouldn't hurt to sleep for a little while-" she broke off still hesitant about the whole idea. She thought furiously for a few minutes rubbing her eyes once in a while.

Kaoru yawned and her path was clear. A nap it was then.

Her body curled up and she laid her head upon the emerald colored grass, lucky for her that it was summer and the heat was more than enough to keep her warm.

'Maybe…for once…I won't have any…dreams.' Came the last coherent thought before sleep claimed her.

* * *

She awoke when the air became chilly.

Kaoru shivered, it had gotten colder as time passed. Cursing in a low undertone she reached for a blanket that wasn't there. Crossed with the fact that the comforter was absent, Kaoru unwillingly opened her eyes. As soon as she got her bearings her eyes widened, the sun was still up in the sky, but it wasn't as high, and the shadows were starting to settle in. Somewhere in her sleepy mind she registered the fact that she'd had a dreamless sleep.

'Yahiko must be worried about me, I'm not sure how long I've been out for but I've gotta head back home.' She stretched and felt at ease, the kind of ease you get after just waking up. This was definitely her favorite part of getting up, she rolled her shoulders back enjoying how that simple act made her feel content.

Taking another swift glance to the sun's position Kaoru estimated it to be about 6-ish, sooooo…that meant she'd been asleep for aboutthree hours. She got up and went over to the hidden entrance- exit in this case- and pushed her way through. Carefully she rearranged the bushes so that they covered up the little path that her body had unwittingly made.

That done, Kaoru spun on her heel and begin the journey home.

* * *

As she neared the dojo she heard some voices ahead of her, they sounded furious and demanding. Eyebrows furrowed as one of them was familiar, **VERY** familiar. Kaoru sped up, she heard taunts and that only made her break out into a run.

Kaoru rounded the corner and froze. What looked like to be a group of ten teenagers formed a circle around a very angry and shouting Yahiko. By the looks of it, it seemed like he'd been accosted just as he reached the gates.

Wait a minute. What was he doing out here?

One of the boys cruelly pushed her brother towards another member and Kaoru unconsciously snarled at their treatment. No one was allowed to do that to her brother, not while she was there!

Kaoru marched right up behind the boy who had shoved Yahiko and spun him to face her, grabbing him by the shirt she coldly asked.

"Just what exactly do you think you are doing?"

At her words the rest of the group stiffened, mostly in annoyance at the person who dared to ruin their fun. Yahiko stared in disbelief as his sister glared at her 'prey'.

"Hey girlie, bugger off and we won't hurt ya much got it? So put him the fuck down!" A boy with poker straight hair and a leather outfit sneered at her. He watched Kaoru put down the teen and take a step back; the boy grinned at how easily she complied.

Kaoru turned to face the speaker. "Listen you, stay away from my brother if you know what's good for you. I really don't like people who pick on others, especially," she added derisively, "people that don't fight fair." She swept angry eyes over the gang as she spoke the last part.

"Why you lil' bitch, I'm gonna kick your ass for that mouth of yours!" The boy rumbled threateningly, putting his fists up in a fighting stance.

Her eyes narrowed, "So now your going to fight a girl? My, my, aren't you brave, trying to assure your authority and power over an unarmed person." 'If I can just get over to a few feet in front of me, then I'd have a fighting chance.'

Kaoru was glad that she had drilled it in that he was to always keep his practice sword by his side, especially since the neighborhood had started to get rougher on this side of town. He wasn't expected to take it to school, just to keep it on him other times. Right now, the wooden sword lay forgotten not too far away from her. Yahiko must've been disarmed after he tried to defend himself.

She snapped back to the present as a fist swung her way, Kaoru lithely dodged it and her opponent flew past her with the force of his momentum. Pivoting to face her attacker's backside she gave a forceful shove to gain more distance. He stumbled and Kaoru hurried to the weapon on the ground.

Kaoru considered herself lucky that the rest of the boys hadn't realized what she was aiming for yet. The rest of the gang huddle around the fighters, shouting encouragement their fellow member. They were laying bets on who'd win and didn't even bother to help out, enjoying the fight instead of being in it.

In one fluid movement Kaoru had picked up the sword and brandished it in front of herself. She easily slipped into battle stance, concentrating on her opponent only.

"Stay back. I don't want to fight but I will if I have to!"

The teen had faced her again and drew back slightly. He took in the sword she was holding familiarly, a grin broke out on his face.

"A girl like you can't have that much strength, feh, betcha nothing but a weakling, even with that toy of yours."

Kaoru didn't speak, but her grip tightened on the hilt.

"Let's try this again… _Girlie_." He mocked her then moved in front of her throwing a punch her way.

Kaoru saw and she leapt backwards feeling the blow graze her cheek; she swung at chest aiming to wind him in return. He tried to move back but the full force of the hit crashed into him, he reeled from it.

Air left abruptly and he fell to his knees, trying to force oxygen in as he panted heavily. Kaoru had fallen back into stance; she waited for him to get up.

With a murderous glint in his eyes he was at her again. This time he lashed out with his foot only to be blocked. Growling he reached for her, intending to draw her in so that he could smash that pretty little face of hers in. A scowl darkened his face as she twisted easily away from him.

Kaoru wasn't breathing hard, but she knew she had to end this quickly. As she twisted away she executed a final attack. Her opponent was struck once across the chest, and then another strike came down on his shoulder with all the strength she could muster. This all happened too fast for the punk to comprehend, and she watched with satisfaction as his eyes rolled back into his head. He collapsed to the sidewalk in a heap of tangled limbs.

She turned back to the others daring them to take her on. They shifted away from her, clearly stating in their actions that they didn't want anything to do with her.

Which was fine with her, all Kaoru wanted to do was to get Yahiko and her safely inside where she could slowly vivisect him for his stupidity. After all, how many times had she warned him not to walk around in the evening?

"If you don't mind," she addressed the group. "I'd like to get my brother and go home." Kaoru rested the sword against her shoulder as she spoke.

They moved away as she strolled towards Yahiko. He was watching her with undisguised amazement, Kaoru just had to grin at his disbelief. Obviously he'd thought that she didn't stand a chance against the gang member.

By the time she had reached him the group had almost fully dispersed, and she whacked him one good over the head.

Yahiko grimaced at the pain but didn't say anything, he had kinda deserved it for wanting to leave and find his sister. It wasn't his fault that Kaoru had been gone for so long, not that he'd ever admit that he was worried about her. He did have his reputation to uphold.

"Come on Yahiko-chan, let's get inside." Kaoru draped an arm around him and they walked inside the gates.

He let himself be lead in, knowing full well that that he'd have to explain why the heck he'd been out. Although, he thought wickedly, it was worth it to see Kaoru kick ass, and the look on their faces when she did was priceless!

But boy was he ever going to be in for it when reached the house.

"Kaoru-"

"Don't worry about it." Kaoru interrupted. She went on, leaving a very stunned Yahiko gaping behind her. So…he wasn't in trouble?

"But I won't let you off that easy, 500 swings tomorrow afternoon."

Spoke too soon.

* * *

There we go! So how's that for a chapter? Yes, I bet you were all hoping for interaction with a certain red head, but that'll come soon enough. Anyways, please review! I love hearing from you guys, and it inspires me do better as a writer, thanks for reading!

**BTW…**

_Mainichi Shinbun_: an actual newspaper in Tokyo  
_Tsukiakari_: moonlight  
_Gaki_: brat

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**Reviewer's Responses**

Lendra-chan: Personally I never usually have scary dreams; my last one was about a man with a chainsaw chasing after me in a junkyard. Apparently he wanted my time-traveling Duracell batteries. Oh wait, I forgot, there was also a dream where I died, although I didn't wake up like I expected to…hmm, weird. Well, I hope this chapter was decent considering all the changes I inflicted upon it. Hope ya thought it was ok still, and thanks for your kind words about the last chapter!

Bradybunch4529: Thanks for your review! Well, there will be other POV's; just the important people will have them. Battousai will definitely be one; can you guess who the others might be?

Jing-Jing: Well, Kaoru is just dreaming of him for now, but I promise that the red head will make an actual appearance in a few chapters, rather than just in her dreams. I have motives for what I'm doing, really I do…I think. No, I actually do, its just that I've got a lot of stage setting to do still, but things will speed up very soon!

Zelianyu: I think I might know what fic your talking about, but this one will be WAAAAAAY different from it. Glad to know that you like this story, hopefully it'll get better as time goes on:)

reader-kikilala: It'll all be explained in the not too far off future. Remember sometimes things aren't always, as they seem… Sooooo, you like Battousai eh? Just wait till the next dream that Kaoru has…Heheh. Yes, I know I'm evil, I've been told it a couple of times, lol.

Eternal Light/Fire Dragon: I updated! With some interesting results I must say, enjoy!

hannah: Nope, defiantly won't be totally in Kaoru's POV, can ya tell yet? ;p

Jisusaken: Evil aren't I? Hope ya liked this chapter, hmm, I wonder if anyone noticed that I didn't give the name of the company yet? Oops, did I leave you wanting to know more? Don't worry, next chapter has more interactions between people and some things are revealed. Such as the company name, but that won't be the best part of the next installment!

dunkmoonX: So, whatcha think? I think that this fic is going to become a bit messy what with style changing's that will be slowly making drastic appearances.

* * *

Once again, thanks for reading and adding me onto your lists, it really brightens my day when I see that I've been added onto them.

See ya all next time!

_P.S.- I usually add information every couple of days in my bio involving this fic, and ones that I have planned. That means that I have updates on when the next chapter comes out. Just thought I'd let you all know._


	4. Somewhere, Someone's Waiting part 1

**A/N:** I'm sooooo sorry at how long this chapter took to put up! Expect slower updates as well in the future, school is being a pain. GOMEN!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own this wonderful series, do ya think Nobuhiro Watsuki would trade it for some cookies? …. Damn, didn't think so….

* * *

**Chapter 3: Somewhere… Someone's Waiting- Part A  
**.  
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In a cramped room filled with wires and gadgets sprawled all over the place, a pair of men bent over a desk, both observing the thing in front of them. They wore uniforms. The slacks and jacket were the same color, but the undershirt was white. The taller of the two had a more defined sense of superiority than the other, and it was he who spoke first.

"So she's the new one huh?" A finger pointed at the TV that connected to one of the many security cameras. "Has she been screened yet?"

"No sir. We'll get on that right away." Answered a light baritone smoothly.

"See to it. It wouldn't do to have a spy or worse in our midst. Question her thoroughly, if there is anything suspicious at all found, report immediately. For now however, give her the pretext that she is officially working here. Once I have a look at her file, then the board will make a decision. Understood?"

"Yes sir. Sir, who do you recommend questioning her?"

"I'm leaving that judgment in your hands. I expect a full report about her by the end of the day." He turned to leave, then paused. "But before you get started, send a coffee downstairs to my office, that will be all." He left the brightly lit room.

The owner of the baritone voice turned back to the TV screen where a young woman with a ponytail, in comfortable-looking navy jeans, and yellow t-shirt was seen lounging in the waiting room. The man picked up a nearly empty folder; a name was printed neatly on the tab.

"…Kamiya Kaoru…" Came the quiet mutter, he knew just the person to interview her, although the interviewer herself wouldn't be too pleased at the prospect.

* * *

The company was located on the outskirts of Tokyo, luckily for her, the dojo was also on the outskirts and happened to be conveniently near her destination. It had taken a while to find the place, but Kaoru had found it tucked in snugly between a construction yard and a convenience store. The beige building was a bit worn down on the outside, and the shrubbery that had been planted around the front needed watering, but once inside, Kaoru found herself surprised at how immaculate it was. Looks really were deceiving.

After speaking to the secretary on shift, the one she had talked on the phone with, Ms. Ishino was off today; Kaoru was led into a waiting room. There she was told to wait until it was her turn to speak to the manager. So Kaoru settled in a leather chair and waited as she had been asked to, not sure exactly of how long she'd have to wait. Bored, Kaoru decided to look at her surroundings.

There were paintings that depicted scenes from Japan's history, ferns decorated shelves, and statues of oddly shaped creatures were placed around the room. Kaoru got up and moved closer to one of the jade statues.

It was a human of sorts; actually it was a man holding a spear in a salutary pose. The figurine itself was only a few inches tall, but the detail was amazing. All in all the stone man looked like some warrior from ancient Japan, the only things off were the pointed ears and the claws on his hands. Kaoru was impressed at the pains that the craftsperson must've gone through to create this work of art. She couldn't help looking over it, minutes passed by and she was still looking at it. What was this person supposed to be? She was so lost in her musings that she failed to hear the tapping of high heels behind her.

"A rather odd piece isn't it? Personally I think that it has a mysterious quality about it, wouldn't you agree?"

She blinked, and then blinked again for good measure. Turning to face the arrival she saw an elegant and graceful woman in a form fitting business suit, her dark hair done up into a bun- presumably to keep it out of her face.

The woman gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. It was more professional than anything else.

"You must be Ms. Kamiya, do you mind if I call you Kaoru?"

Kaoru shook her head. The woman smiled again, this time the smile seemed more honest.

"Good, my name is Takani Megumi, but Megumi will do just fine." Megumi motioned Kaoru over to where she was standing. She lead her over to a door, it opened to reveal a gray-carpeted hallway. They walked down half the length, Megumi stopped, Kaoru was in front of a door with a nameplate, and the word 'Takani' etched out on the brass surface. That was all that marked the door.

She waited for Megumi to open the door; several seconds passed and when the door was still closed, Kaoru glanced up. Megumi was studying her intensely as if searching for something. Kaoru met her eyes and Megumi turned away.

'_What was that all about, and what was she looking at me like that for? This is too strange; maybe I should've faked sick instead of coming in?'_ Kaoru thought worriedly, and then scolded herself for her paranoia. She figured that her nervousness must've been getting the better of her; she'd really have to calm down a little.

Kaoru was offered a seat while Megumi sat down, an oak desk between the two. There were files on the top and scattered pens, as well as a lamp; a laptop graced the desk as well. A filing cabinet was placed in a corner behind the woman and a few pictures dotted the walls. A clean scent lingered in the room, and Kaoru found herself taking a deep breath. Megumi had been turned around, rustling around in the cabinet, so she missed Kaoru's actions and curious looks.

"So Kaoru, I'm sure you know why you're here," the business woman turned to face Kaoru, seeing a nod Megumi continued, "I'm going to start with your past work experiences…"

With that they began.

* * *

An hour later found Megumi sending Kaoru off to the secretary to be informed of her schedule. After bidding the teenager goodbye, and assuring her that her interview went well, Megumi went back to her desk. She shuffled the papers and glanced over what notes she had taken during the questioning. By all appearances Kaoru seemed to be an ordinary young woman, there were a few intriguing details although. One that she was the shihondai of a dojo, another that her reasons for wanting to work here were a change from what everyone else who passed through wanted.

She put her head in her hands, brow furrowed in concentration. Yes, Kaoru would make a fine addition to this company, while she would never join the higher ranks, Kaoru would do fine as cover for what this company actually did; she wouldn't be the only one, there were others just like her used for that same purpose. She'd have to keep an eye on the young woman however, Kaoru didn't seem to be a person that fooled easily, and from what Megumi had seen and heard from the girl, she appeared to have a quick mind. Not to mention a kind heart.

Megumi prayed that Kaoru's heart wouldn't wind her up into the same mess that she was in.

A quick glance at the wall clock told her that it was almost time for the report to be submitted.

_'Damn those people for making me write this out! As if I didn't have enough to worry about, I still have to run medical tests on the subject. Hmm, they did offer me more assistants, so I guess that its not all bad, but still I would rather not have to do those wretched tests if i could help it...'_ she trailed off.

She swiveled over to the running laptop and typed in a few things, a list of names came up and she clicked on one with her mouse. A blank page appeared and Megumi went to work, fingers flying over the keyboard. There she would stay for the rest of the workday.

* * *

Kaoru groaned in pain. She hadn't had to walk so much since, well, never. After her time with Megumi was over she'd been subjected to torture. Carrying heavy binders, and books back and forth from the dozens of offices. Not to mention that she'd gotten lost on her way to the bathroom, which by the way, was all the idiotic man's fault for pointing her in the wrong direction. She swore that if she saw him again she'd make him apologize.

She was stiff all along her shoulders, lower back, and down the back of her legs, a hot relaxing bath would remedy some of her aches and pains. Kaoru never thought that work would be so, for lack of a better word, painful. Her muscles felt overused and they were swollen.

One more delivery to make, she smiled tiredly. After she finished this round Kaoru was allowed to head home. So far she'd worked six hours with two fifteen minute breaks, which wasn't all that bad for her first day.

A heavy cardboard box was straining her arms as she walked down towards the storage room; the annoying woman at the front desk had ordered her to drop it off outside of the door. It was a plain door, just like all the others that she'd seen while going about her business.

Kaoru lowered the box to the floor, as she did so her trained ears heard a hum, like that of a machine, coming from the steel door next to the storage room._ 'What is that? I-I guess it'll be okay if I just listen for a little bit. No harm done right?'_

Stepping closer to the metal door, she pressed an ear against the chilled metal and heard the hum grow louder. Now she was really curious, what was that noise? Was it the generator that ran the building? Kaoru pressed her body flush against the strange door and focused on the noise emanating from the other side. The teen listened and…heard voices. Voices that became louder signifying that whoever was talking was coming closer to where she stood.

Hastily she backed away and pretended to fuss over the almost forgotten box, re-arranging the flaps a bit and shifting the contents. The door opened and two men in their thirties stepped out, talking like she wasn't even there, but Kaoru was sure that they'd seen her. Peering from behind her bangs, Kaoru saw the standard gray and white colored uniforms of the company, Fukumaden

_'Guess they must not care if I listen in, sort of like an invitation.'_ A gleam came into her eyes. Kaoru didn't really like to listen in to what others spoke about, especially if it wasn't for her to hear, but this time she couldn't help herself. Keeping her eyes on the cardboard she monitored their conversation.

"Everything's working out fine, soon I'll be getting that raise I've been asking for and me and the missus will go on a vacation!" One said enthusiastically.

"…Lucky dog, wish the boss would let me take time off from the project!" The other moaned.

"Well, maybe if you'd quit slacking off and actually processed the scans-"

"That's not my job! How many times do I have to tell you? I don't do medical, that's the doc's job. Anyways…" the voices drifted off into the distance as they left Kaoru pondering all that she'd learned.

This company was supposed to be making microchips for phones, TV's, and other economical things like that. Then why would Fukumaden Technologies be involving itself with medical scans and the like? From all I've read about in newspapers is that they manufactured and created better processing circuits for appliances. Since when had they been involving themselves with medicine? Maybe Megumi would tell her if she asked nicely. Fully set on the decision, Kaoru decided that she'd ask her newest acquaintance about what this all meant.

She stood up and brushed an irritant strand of hair out of her eyes, taking one last longing look at the mysterious metal door she bustled off to fill out her hours on the time sheet. Later she'd find out the answers to her questions. Right now Kaoru had a brother waiting at home for her and a bath that was calling her name. Heck, she was so wiped out from the labour that maybe she'd pass out without any of those dreams- strange how they didn't want to leave her, she'd had them for about a week or so now-tonight. Cheered at the prospect Kaoru left with an extra bounce in her step.

Above her in a corner, a tiny black security camera swiveled following her progress down the deserted hallway.  
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**A/N:** There! Sorry if its shorter than my other chapters, but I couldn't write in the second part. This is just the first part, and the next chapter will be the second part, after that, this story will speed up even more. I tend to dwell on things don't I? I'm trying to get out of the habit. Oh, and I'm not doing first person POV's anymore! I don't really like 'em. 

**Translations:**

_Fukumaden:_ (n) abode of demons / hotbed (of graft) / pandemonium

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**Reviewer's Replies:**

**himesama16:** Thanks sooooo much for reviewing! I think you'll like the next chapter even though they don't meet not in a physical sense, but soon they will. See ya later!

**Appa:** Thanks! I can't stand that kind either, always thinking that the world owes them something, oh well, how's this chapter? That was a scary dream wasn't it, just wait till the next one rolls around!

**Angel-of-dark-spirits:** Yup, not doing POV's anymore! Btw, refer to the summary of this fic, its very literal in a sense. Can't say much more, sorry. I really enjoyed all your advice, and I definitely have to agree with most of your points, arigatou!

**Jing-Jing:** Don't we all just wanna see Kenshin? I know I do, but it's leading up to it. Next chapter holds promise just you wait and see! Thanks for all your info! Sorry 'bout the cliffy, I tried to wrap it up.

**iLuvJaeWon:** Thanks for all your praise!

**Bradybunch4529:** Thanks! I'm glad that Kaoru is portrayed to your liking. I don't like it either when she's mean without a reason, or too clingy. She is a modern independent woman in this fic, and that's the way it's gonna be, but that doesn't mean that she'll be all powerful or anything like that. Well, since I've introduced the fox, the rooster will have to make an appearance soon, eh? Megumi also won't be as flirtatious in this story, but she'll have her times.

**Eternal Light/Fire Dragon:** Ah, yes, the question of when dear Oro-chan will be coming in. Well, lets just say that you better watch any new developments concerning Fukumaden closely. Oh, and Kenshin is Battousai at first, and in a way Kaoru has already met him. There will be more contact between the two, but only in their dreams. After continued dreams about him, even though they're not mentioned much in the story, she'll have a tolerance towards him. Just the important dreams are going to be mentioned. BTW, you're welcome!

**readerkikilala:** I appreciate your note. Yes, Battousai is taking a while to join the fray, but this fic will soon be buzzing with excitement, and then…lets just say it'll be a real killer. Probably will have to bump the rating up!

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Thanks for reading, and please review! Don't forget, this** IS** a story involving demons, hence the supernatural genre. Oh and sorry about the lack of description for Megumi and Kaoru. 

Dewa mata!


	5. AN: IMPORTANT!

**Author's Note**

Greetings to all of you, this, as you may have realized by now, is an Author's Note. Well, straight down to business, eh? Alrighty.

My deepest apologies to all who were reading this story, but I am going to put this on hiatus because I find that the plot just isn't working. However, I am going through the plot and making a new outline for everything so a new fic will be up shortly. I have 9 chapters planned out so far, but only one almost completely written. I have no idea how long till the first chapter is up but it should take more than a month. The basis of the story will still be the same but certain characters and situations will occur either earlier or later than Entwined Fates. Plus there'll be a new summary and a new title! If the new fic works out better than the old one, then _Entwined Fates_ will be deleted.

**Please complete these questions!**

Should Aoshi have demon blood in him?_ Yes or No_

Should Kenshin go from Battousai's personality to completely Rurouni by the end of this fic or should he stay the same? Or keep a little of both? _Yes or No or Both_

Which sounds better? _20, 30, or 35 chapters?_

If you have any suggestions or ideas for the new plot please let me know right away! If I decide to use it I will give you full credit for the idea!

Thanks for everything everyone and I'm sorry once again!

**Story Summary (tentative):**

_Kaoru's known things before they've happened, but she's not prepared for what's in her future. They call it an accident but she calls it fate, but fate is never final, especially when there's a real live amber-eyed demon added to the mix._


End file.
